§ Mr. MurphyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of how many councils with waste disposal responsibility in England have terms of contract which will be affected by the recent court ruling in the case of Torfaen borough council v. ReChem plc; and what representations he has received about the implications of this judgment.
§ Mr. MoynihanThe judgment made on 16 September 1987 in the case Reginav. ReChem International Ltd. concerned the validity of a condition in a licence for waste disposal under part 1 of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Under the 1974 Act, it is the responsibility of waste disposal authorities to issue such licences, and it is for each authority to satisfy itself that any conditions in the licence are valid and enforceable. Licences do not come before the 356W Secretary of State except on appeal. I do not, therefore, have the information to assess how many licences may be affected by the ReChem case. I have received no representations about the implications of the judgment.